Don’t know a stein from a sauerkraut? Let this guide be your gastronomical friend.

Apfelstrudel: An apple strudel, which is a pastry filled with chopped apples, cinnamon, raisins and roasted bread crumbs. Some may include nuts and rum.

Bratwurst: A pork sausage that’s grilled or fried in a pan.

Frankfurter: A long, thin sausage made from pork. Looks like a hot dog.

Knackwurst: A sausage that’s been boiled. It’s often served with sauerkraut and potato salad.

Hefeweizen: This wheat beer is often unclear and has a mild hops flavor.

Lager: A light-tasting beer that originated in Germany; or, the stuff that Coors is made from.

Oktoberfestbier: A beer brewed in March to be consumed specifically at Oktoberfest.

Pilsner: Germany’s most popular beer. It’s slightly bitter and malty with a clean, refreshing taste.

Sauerkraut: Pickled green cabbage, which is one of the country’s most well-known foods.

Stein: A beer glass that holds about one pint. Steins were originally made of stone and are traditionally very ornate.

Wiener schnitzel: Traditionally it’s a breaded veal cutlet, though it’s also cooked using different meats.

The traditional German celebration of Oktoberfest turns 200 in 2010, and for San Diegans that means an extra joyous season of beer-drinking, bratwurst-eating and merriment.

“It’s a good time to get together, socialize, sing songs and sway to the music,” said Heidi Williams of the German American Societies of San Diego. “It’s a time to be happy and to be together.”

A refresher: Oktoberfest was first celebrated in Munich on Oct. 12, 1810, after King Ludwig I married Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. Since 1850 the annual parade, in which people in traditional costumes walk through the center of Munich, has become part of the tradition.

Though in Germany Oktoberfest is celebrated for several weeks, in San Diego it’s a bit more sporadic.

The Oktoberfest in El Cajon, which Williams helps organize, is perhaps the most traditional party in town. It goes on for two weekends in October, and instead of a giant street festival, this celebration is at the more intimate German Club.

“We first started having our Oktoberfest mainly so that the members of the German Club and our neighbors could get together,” she said. “Even though it’s started growing, we still try to keep it as more of a family event, like you’d see in Germany.”

Other celebrations throughout San Diego range from community gatherings, like the 16th annual event in Encinitas, to the popular La Mesa festival, which hails itself as the largest Oktoberfest west of the Mississippi.

Speaking of La Mesa, does El Cajon’s neighboring city have an Oktoberfest rivalry? Williams assures that it doesn’t exist.

“Oh no, we like La Mesa,” she said. “We work together, we borrow things from each other. It’s all friendly and in the spirit of Oktoberfest.”

So as the Oktoberfest season approaches, here’s a guide to where you can find all the steins of lager, bratwursts and oompah music around town.